Ch 06: No rest for the wicked.

“Sword Art Online may be a game, but this isn’t something you play.”

-- Akihiko Kayaba.

In the plaza, things were anything but peaceful. Unable to express their anger to Kayaba, they started venting on each other. Now would be a good time to leave. The smart beta testers were already doing so. In a fight for survival with ultimately limited resources, they would want to stay ahead of the crowd.

Noah intended to do the same. Now that he had a solid grasp on a few basic Sword skills, he intended to go past the boars and start farming Dire Wolves. Those would attack players within a range of thirty meters, but were just as fragile as boars. A Linear would still one-shot them.

As he walked through the crowd of agitated players, he spotted on the side a girl with short brown hairs and eyes, sitting on the floor, her face hung downward. Her eyes were open, but unfocused. She was frozen by fear.

Noah recognized her. Rika Shinozaki, although she was calling herself Lisbeth in the game. Seeing her in that pitiful state, Noah decided the wolves could wait. He walked in front of her and extended his right hand.

“Do you need help to stand? You might get trampled if you stay like this.”

The girl lifted her scared face, looked at him up and down for a few seconds, and accepted his help. He helped her stand and immediately released her tiny hand.

“Thanks.” She said in a small voice.

“You’re welcome. Are you going to be okay?”

“How can I be okay, with this… What about you? Everyone’s in a panic, but you seem, calm?”

Noah shrugged. Spending over twelve hours in the Backrooms had broken his sense of fight or flight. He simply could not feel much danger from being in SAO, even without Kayaba’s agreement to not kill players who died in the game. More than half of the players had survived it in the novels, so it couldn’t be all that dangerous, as long as he didn’t act too recklessly.

“Oh, I’m scared. I like myself breathing, and I intend to do so for a long time. But panic won’t help me survive. And we humans are tough. Adapt and overcome is our motto. Since our ancestors left the safety of the trees, we humans have faced countless challenges, many of them more dangerous than this. And we’re still alive and kicking butt. We’ll beat this game, and then we’ll make sure that guy end up in jail.”

She made a fragile smile, as his confidence cheered her up a little.

“You aren’t much of a speech writer, are you?”

Noah pretended to have just received an injury, as he clutched his heart and bent forward, causing her to have a nervous giggle.

“Nope, I’m a student. I admit not having experience in making inspirational speeches. Was it that bad?”

“It sounded corny… Still, it wasn’t bad. I feel a little better, thanks.”

“Well, I know another way to make you feel better, and that’s to vent your negative feelings on some monsters. Do you know how to fight?”

She shook her head.

“No. I was still exploring the city, when we all got teleported here.”

“Do you want me to help you? The first few fights are tricky, and you could use a backup, just in case. But once you get the hang of it, we can part ways, and I’ll have done my good action of the day.”

She hesitated for an instant, looking him up and down again, and at the other players arguing around them.

“…Yes, please. I need to learn how to survive this game.”

“That’s the spirit! I’m Noah, by the way, nice to meet you.” He grinned.

“I’m Lisbeth. I’m grateful for your help.”

“Please follow me, Lisbeth. Soon, it will be hard to find monsters to kill, as most of the people here will start hunting the easy ones.”

She nodded nervously, and followed him outside the city.

“We’re going to kill a few boars. Mostly, you will, while I’ll be watching. They will die in one or two attacks, if you use Sword Skills. Do you know how to use them?”

Lisbeth shook her head, as she looked at a boar a few meters from her. She held her sword in front of her with both hands, in a classic swordman’s posture.

“I have seen a few videos, and found it interesting. But I don’t know how to use Sword Skills. I mostly wanted to play for the social aspect, and to experience full VR immersion. Is there a button somewhere I missed, or some kind of incantation?”

“Sword skills are triggered by specific postures, called pre-motions. They need to be precise, as you only have a few centimeters of leeway. Let me show you the one named “Linear”.”

Noah slowly demonstrated the posture to her, targeting an empty spot, until the sword glowed and he was propelled forward. His sword left a blue trail that persisted for two seconds before it dissipated.

“You try it, Lisbeth.”

Lisbeth nodded, and after a few attempts, managed it. She also killed the boar in one hit.

“That, was actually a nice feeling!” Lisbeth smiled slightly as she looked back at him.

Noah nodded, but his face was serious.

“Yeah, Sword Skills are cool. They’re flashy, and strong. But at the same time, they suck.”

“They suck? what do you mean?” She tilted her head as she looked at him.

“Sword Skills are visually impressive, and they do a lot of damage. About three times what you would do just by swinging your sword at the monster. But they have three issues. First, they have a high mental drain, and you’ll grow tired faster if you use them a lot. Worst case scenario, you might actually loose consciousness in a place that isn’t safe. That would be a Bad Thing. It’s even more dangerous for you because, well, you are a pretty girl, and not every player out there has good intentions.”

He pretended not to see the slight reddening or her face at hearing him calling her pretty.

“Then there is the issue of the post-motion, where you are frozen for a time after the move. It may last only a fraction of a second, but in a fight against multiple monsters, it might make a lot of difference. And lastly, a fighting style based on overusing the Sword Skills is rigid, predictable. It may not matter against monsters. But, we’re in a death game with limited resources. Eventually, there’s going to be some people who will think they are better off robbing other players rather than doing the work themselves. That is why I suggest you try to train in fighting with Sword Skills, but don’t rely on them too much. And it doesn’t have to be a sword, by the way. There are many types of weapons out there, and you should focus on the one that feels best for you.”

Lisbeth sobered, as she envisioned the possibility of being robbed by others, and maybe even worse.

“…You seem to know a lot. Are you a beta tester?”

“No. But I did some research on internet before I started. And I know just how ugly humans can become when they are under stress. Look, the boar has respawned. Kill it again with Linear.”

“…Right.” Lisbeth launched the attack with less than three seconds of fumbling, and they searched for the next one.

Noah smiled to her.

“I plan for you to get familiar with Linear, another Sword Skill called Horizontal, and with throwing rocks. Yes, there’s a skill for that, too. Then, we’ll face a few Wolves. I want to make sure you won’t freeze against monsters that will not wait for you to attack them. After that, I’ll proudly declare my first pupil to be combat capable. But you won’t get a diploma.”

Lisbeth grinned at his joke, but it lasted only for an instant, before she looked at him with a troubled expression.

“Noah, why are you helping me? Shouldn’t you be trying to kill as many monsters as possible, to grow stronger than the other players? Or… it is because you expect something of me in return, because I’m cute?”

“…I’ll admit that you being cute helps, but no, I don’t intend to pressure you into doing anything of the sort you’re thinking about. Growing stronger is good, but there’s only so much that I can do alone. If I want to beat this game, I’ll need comrades, and connections. You are my first connection, Lisbeth. At least, I hope we’ll add each other to our mutual friend lists before the end of the day. I’m going to spend a whole lot of time grinding monsters in the future. That’s going to be boring as hell after a while. So I’m hoping you can be my pen pal, so we can chat from time to time.”

Lisbeth sighed in relief, and she smiled apologetically.

“Oh… yes. I’m fine with us being friends. That would be great. As you said, we’ll need friends to survive. Sorry for making assumptions, your talk about bad guys must have made me paranoid…”

“It’s fine. It’s a natural reaction, and being paranoid is much better than being overly naive. It helps with survival.”

Noah had just lied to her. He totally intended to make her his, one day. But he had other priorities right now. So he would cook her slowly.

Another boar respawned near them, and she didn’t wait for his instruction, using Linear on her first attempt this time.

“Nice, Lisbeth. I’ll show you Horizontal next.”

…

The Dire Wolf was hit by Lisbeth stone, losing half his health, and was finished by her Vertical skill. It was the sixth one she had killed, and had gained some confidence.

“That was nice, Lisbeth. But we’ll need to stop there. The sun will soon disappear, and hunting monsters is more dangerous at night, as our vision is reduced. Besides, hunting for too long can be dangerous, as we’d make mistakes while being tired.”

“You’re right. Are you going to leave now?” Noah heard a little disappointment in her voice.

“…That depends. I intend to reach the Horunka Village before spending the night at their inn. There’s a quest there to gain a sword called Anneal Blade, that is a fairly good newbie weapon. But I’ll have to compete with the beta testers for sure. At best, there will be some delay to obtain the item required for the quest. At worst, some players might try to get rid of their competition, possibly by luring large groups of monsters. You can accompany me there if you wish, or you can return to the town of beginnings.”

“I see… I’m sorry, Noah, but I don’t want to risk having to fight other players. Can I add you in my friend list?”

“Of course. And I understand, don’t worry.” Noah also added her to his list.

“I’ll tell you one important thing, just in case you would decide to go in the forest surrounding that village later. There’s those plant monsters called Little Nepenthes, that can attack using their vines like whips, or spray from their mouth some kind of corrosive liquid. But the real danger with them is that some have some kind of fruit on top of their heads. If you attack the one with the fruit, it will immediately cause dozens of Nepenthes to come as reinforcement, and you will be overwhelmed and killed. This is probably the most dangerous thing you can encounter on the first floor, aside from the boss. Be careful not to attack the plant monster with the fruit. Okay?”

“Yes, I’ll remember. Thank you, Noah, for everything you’ve done for me.” Lisbeth bowed with a bright smile.

The sight of that smile caused Noah to feel warm and happy inside, and he forgot his cold-hearted and manipulative side for an instant.

“That’s what friends are for. Now take care of yourself, Lisbeth. I’ll often give you useful information via the chat feature, and I’ll count on you to do the same.”

“I will. Be careful, Noah.”

“See you later, my first friend!” Noah waved at her with a smile, turned away, and jogged in the general direction of the village. He still dispatched any monster in his way. As he progressed, he started envisioning several scenarios to nurture his relationship with Lisbeth. Giving her information and advice every day was a start, but once she established her shop, he might form some kind of partnership with her. In the novel, Lisbeth was mostly a Blacksmith, owning her own shop, but could also fight using a one-handed mace and shield. To raise his proficiencies, he would need to do a lot of crafting, and selling the resulting items might help him make up for his expenses, maybe even turn up some profit. But time spent selling his stuff would be time not spent killing monsters and not gathering loots and materials.

If he could convince Lisbeth to sell his products in her shop alongside hers, he would have more time to grind levels.

One more Dire Wolf died under Noah’s blade, and he got a different notification. He had just gained his first level.

As a test, he put the three stat points he had gained in strength. He then headed for the nearest Dire Wolf. As soon as he got within thirty meters, the monster noticed him and charged, growling. Noah waited until the Wolf got within two meters and jumped before evading to the side, and slashing as the beast went past him.

-27.

The wolf growled, and tried to bite into his abdomen. The wolf still had almost half its HP left, and taking a chance, he decided to finish the Wolf with a kick. And regretted it, as the wolf still managed to turn its head and bite his ankle as he was stuck.

-24.

The Wolf was killed, but Noah winced, both at the pain and at the damage he had taken. His HP bar was still green at 114/150.

Beside the notification about the loot was another that made the pain worth it.

“You have learned Martial Arts.”

Sword Art Online had a pain dampener function, ranging to 10% simulated pain, all the way to 100%. The injury he had just sustained was already stinging fiercely with the dampener set at 10%. Still, Noah had decided that he would gradually, over the next year or two, reduce the dampening effect. It wasn’t like he wanted pain, far from it. But he figured at in the worlds he would visit after, he would occasionally suffer injuries, and he needed to develop enough pain tolerance to still be able to function even with suffering serious wounds. There was a skill for that in the Yin-Yang shop, but it was a relatively expensive one compared to most, needing a thousand Yin points and two hundred Yang points. Pain tolerance wasn’t something he’d be able to gain overnight, and the dampener in SAO was a good opportunity to train himself.

Thinking about the fight just now and keeping an eye on his HP bar, Noah came to a few more conclusions. Each point of Strength added 3 to the base damage he inflicted. The Attack +3 stat on his sword translated as +3 damage. The pain lasted at full intensity for 10 seconds, then gradually dulled over the next 20 seconds. And, he passively recovered 1 HP every 20 seconds.

According to what he had read online, if he were to suffer a wound with a maiming effect and have one of his limbs severed, the missing part would only reappear after being fully healed, and after at least 3 minutes had passed. If it were to happen in the middle of a fight, it would be very difficult to survive long enough to recover full functionality.

Following the path, Noah entered the forest. He saw a few Nepenthes among the trees, well away from the path, but he decided they could wait until tomorrow.

He arrived at the village, in the middle of the forest. A small one, will less than twenty homes or farms, but there was a forge and an inn. The sun had set, and the NPCs were back in their homes, or inside the inn.

Noah entered the inn. A few villagers were eating dinner near the fireplace. There were also a dozen people, most of them guys, who were obviously players, from the equipment they wore. Noah recognized the protagonist, a boy with short black eyes and black hairs, who was named Kirito. They looked at each other for a second, before Noah turned away to look at the others, and Kirito returned to his meal. Noah had little interest in him, as he was straight as an arrow, and he had disliked Kirito in the novel, for being such a Gary Stu.

Another player, a girl, who looked at him with an inquisitive gaze, had brown, almost golden pupils, short curly hair that was just a little too brown to be called blonde, with two symmetrical tufts of hair on top of her head curving upward and reminding him of an insect’s antennas. That hair color was a rarity in Japan, especially after Kayaba had removed everyone’s avatar customization, and there had not been enough time yet for players to buy dies and change it.

Noa answered her gaze by nodding with a polite smile, and she nodded back, before looking away.

“Hello, stranger. Would you like to rent a room? Maybe have dinner?” asked the innkeeper NPC, a middle-aged man with a short beard. An icon in the form of a yellow question mark floated above his head.

Noah smiled and nodded.

“Hi. I’d like a room for the night, please. Maybe several nights, and a meal. How much would it cost?”

“100 Cor for the meal, 600 Cor per night.”

“I’ll pay for a night and the meal for now, then.” Noah opened his interface, and transferred 700 Cor to the innkeeper.

“Thank you, Sir.” The man produced a key from his pocket. “Room 202 in the second floor is yours. You can sit at any table, and I will bring you diner.”

“I look forward to it. Is there also anything I can do for you?” asked Noah. The icon above the NPC indicated that he had at least one quest to give to players, and in most case, asking NPCs if they needed anything was the trigger for them to offer the quest.

“Yes, Sir. Our Kitchen requires a lot of ingredients. If you could provide me with 30 Wild Strawberries and 30 Nepenthes Seeds, I would be able to reward you with 800 Cor.”

“I will do it.” Nodded Noah. In SAO, most quests were repeatable, but also had a cooldown. The question mark would only reappear after the quest became available again.

“Thank you, kind adventurer. Now please choose a table, and I will bring you your food.”

Noah sat at a table in a corner.

The innkeeper almost immediately came back with a tray, and started transferring its content to his table. A pitcher of water with a cup, some salt and pepper, a salad, and a rather generous piece of meat that looked like beef, with a side of steaming potatoes and greens.

“Enjoy your meal.” Said the innkeeper, as he left him to return to the kitchen.

Noah started eating. He knew the salad was just a bunch of electric signals sent to his brain, while his real body was likely already in a hospital bed with an IV feed or three in his arms, but he didn’t care. It tasted great.

As he was eating, he saw the girl he had noticed earlier go from one table to another and speak for a moment to each other player. Sometimes it only lasted a few moments, or at other times, a few minutes. But Noah couldn’t understand anything she or the other players were saying. Clearly, there was some kind of privacy filter at work there. He had almost finished his meal when she came to him.

“Greetings. Do you mind if I sit at your table for a moment?” Her slightly nasal voice was quite pleasant,

He grinned, before pointing to the chair in front of him.

“I was wondering why you were making the rounds. You’re welcome at my table, but I’m not paying for your drink just yet. I’m not that easy. I’m Noah, nice to meet you.”

“Eh.” She snorted cutely at his joke as she sat down. “Full of yourself, aren’t ya? You’re cute all right, but I’m not interested in taking a lover at this point. I’m Argo. Nice to meet ya, too. I’ll be blunt. You’re a beta tester?”

“No. I suspect most of the players present here are. But I simply did my research before starting the game.“

“I won’t comment on their status. That would be a privacy violation. But I may or may not be an acquaintance with some of them. So you’re here for the Anneal Blade, too?”

Noah nodded, and Argo looked at him seriously.

“Then, since you’re a new player, I should warn you, just in case. The quest for that sword involves killing a Little Nepenthes with a flower…”

“Don’t touch the one with the fruit, I’m aware. Thanks for the warning, still. I appreciate it.”

“That’s only natural. I’d feel bad if anyone were to die simply because no one bothered to warn them, and I could have done so… Anyway, I came to introduce myself. Just like I’ll try to do with every player who seem to take a head start. I’m an information trader, so connections are important! Can you add me to your friend list?”

“I understand. Sure, I’d be glad to be part of your network. I can imagine myself asking you for information in the future. Or sharing what I have.”

“Great!” Argo wasted no time opening her friend list, and Noah received a notification asking him for permission. He did the same with her.

“Thanks for your time, Noah. I’ll leave you to your meal.”

“…Wait.” Noah hesitated. He knew that the players weren’t going to actually die (assuming, of course, that Kayaba really did as he told him), but Argo’s comment about not warning people when he could had struck home.

Argo froze as she was halfway out of the chair and sat back, looking at him with speculation.

“What I’m going to say isn’t actual information, but mere speculation. So I won’t ask for anything in return.”

“Please go on…”

“If the development of SAO is following the same pattern as what happens with just about every other game out there, there might have been changes, from the beta version to the live one. All the beta testers would be wise not to rely overmuch on what they think they know, and should increase their safety margins. By teaming up, for example.”

Argo frowned for a few seconds as she considered his words, before she focused back on him.

“…That’s a very sensible warning. Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll make sure the others are aware of that possibility. Do you have any other tidbit?”

He smiled as he shook his head.

“Not at this time. It’s been nice meeting you, Argo.”

“Same here, Noah. Be sure to play safe yourself. And be careful, if you see other players around when you find the Nepenthes with the flower. I wouldn’t vouch for the morality of every beta tester in this room.”

She left him with that warning and went to talk to another player.

As he finished his meal, Noah pondered on how to optimize his tentative schedule for the next day. He had been tempted to hunt monsters at night, but almost instantly abandoned the idea. His vision would be severely limited in a dark forest. There was a night-vision proficiency that would help, but it would take weeks or months before it could be raised to a usable level.

After thinking a few minutes, he decided to go to sleep. He would start the next day by getting the quest for the Anneal Blade, then use the monster materials to gain the Cooking and Leatherworking skills, buy a pickaxe and basic cooking seasonings, and the rest of the day would be devoted to fulfilling his quests and grinding monsters. He should stay in the forest for a few days, as the next monsters on the food chain, the Kobolds that could be found in the labyrinth, started at lv6… and could use sword skills. They would be much more tricky opponents than the wolves, and he would need to pay close attention to their moves to recognize pre-motion postures in time.

If the players leveled at the same speed they did in the fiction, they would need about a month to reach the labyrinth, explore it, and find the boss room. That would give Noah time.

Noah entered the room he had rented. It wasn’t a big one, but it didn’t need to be. There was a clean bed, a nightstand with a lamp, and a small table with a stool. Noah opened the general menu in the game interface. There was an alarm function, and he set it to wake him up after seven hours. He removed his equipment via the interface, and found himself with only a boxer.

He entered the bed and tried to sleep. As he was relaxing his body, his thoughts drifted to his encounter with Argo. Someone who specialized in socializing, something he wasn’t very good at, as well as building networks and gathering information, would be useful to him, and for more than simply beating the game. Plus, she was rather cute. He added her name to his mental list.

It would likely take months before he could act on it, as he would first need a house, and those didn’t come cheap. And some supplies. Until then, all his efforts should be focused on getting stronger, not gaining points for the Yin-Yang store.